Another weekly battle that I face is my mothers constant constipation. It's a weekly nightmare that I loathe, but have to accept. The latest episode (yesterday) goes as follows. I gave mother a heft glass of warm prune juice and two woman's laxative pills. Now, if these don't work immediately, then my mother gets frantic. She had no bowel movement overnight (she claims she had a sleepless night due to the constipation).......now today she got out of bed very early and wanted to go to the hospital. I always refuse to take her because the prune juice usually works, but this time I submitted and took her. I told the lady at the ER that she is severely constipated. While waiting in the lobby to be seen, mother wanted to go to the restroom......she had her bowel movement. She then wanted to leave (which we did). I told the admitting lady that she had a bowel movement and we were leaving. I also told her that this is a weekly thing with her and that it's just part of the hell that a caregiver goes through. This morning before we left home for the hospital......my mother insisted that we go. She said if we don't go.....then she'll just sit there and die from the constipation. This is just a tid bit of the hell that I go through each day. I challenge any caregiver to "beat" what I go through in dealing with a VERY headstrong and controlling mother. I told her, "you're 88 now......give up on the control". My life.....is dedicated (not by choice) to being a 24/7 slave. It's getting to be very sickening because it's the same thing day in and day out. I'm not in a "normal" caregiver situation......I have to deal with a extremely moody, cranky and quite frankly.......a very mean person at times. Cussing and four letter words are quite common. Mother lets me have it with both barrels....so to speak. I really think that perhaps GOD makes us caregivers suffer, so that when our parents die......then we don't feel so bad. It's almost like a relief when they pass on and we are absolved of this hell called caregiving. The curse continues.....
Have you ever tried the fiber cookies? Metamucil wafers? Drinking the fiber down is unpleasant, but eating cookies is something she might be able to do. If you only give her one until you see how they work, you can avoid a messy clean-up.
Good luck to you.